I’ve been with the Thad Jones, Mel Lewis Band almost
three years. Hank Jones was on the band first. Actually, it was originally
going to be three leaders—Hank, Thad and Mel. I came in to sub for Hank
many times, and finally he couldn’t do it continually; so I just stayed
on. I’ve missed a few of the band’s dates, but the very, very important
ones I try to make.

This band is free, it’s relaxed and it’s comprised of
probably the greatest musicians in the world. If not the greatest musicians,
the greatest soloists in the world, without any doubt. So there’s a tremendous
amount of musical freedom allowed a chord instrument; even more, in many
ways, than is allowed a single–line instrument. Because almost any chord
in relationship to a particular note that I play, if it has a relation
and value, it works, because you’re going in a certain direction with
this band. In some other bands, you try to play those kind of things,
they don’t fit. Here you are free to move and express yourself, because
they can hear everything you do. They can understand and know what context
you’re doing it in. Which is hard to find in anybody’s band. It has just
about everything to do with the way it’s written—and the guy that’s up
there conducting it.

There’s no feeling of the piano being just part of the
background. The music is written with everyone in mind. When Thad writes,
it’s about each person that’s going to be playing in the band. He sets
it down and conveys it in such a way that you know you’re with someone
who is completely aware of your capabilities, and even so, allows you
room to expand on those capabilities. Not like other bands, where you
play oom–chunk, oom–chunk, oom–chunk all night.

The only limitations in this band are set as a result
of the discipline that you have maintained over yourself. And you were
chosen because of that kind of discipline in the first place.

That’s the reason for this kind of band. Look at Snooky
Young and Richard Williams; these are two of the finest trumpet players
you can find, and they are so because they spent all those years getting
background. Richard Davis—there’s an example of someone who has maintained
the highest kind of discipline toward his instrument in the musical business.
People who have been playing for over thirty years and have kept this
level of quality, you find that they’re bound to really be together when
they play together. That same thing holds true even when they’re not with
this band and are individually involved in other things.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard a situation where Snooky
or Richard or Danny Moore or Pepper Adams haven’t been giving everything
that they had. Jerome Richardson—one of the best lead alto men, and now
I would have to consider him one of the best lead soprano men, because
he plays it equally well. Jerry Dodgion—who can ask for a better player
on flute and alto? In every case, you’d have to say: “Well, this was the
best guy I could find on this instrument right now.” So with men like
this, there’s always room for a pianist who chooses to try to extend that
musical realm so that it fits not just what we call fuzz, but includes
all music, you see.

Before I left Detroit, I was quite active as a trio pianist.
I had my own trio, working in clubs. When I went to Juilliard, I stayed
in New York for about three years without working with anyone. In 1958,
after joining Benny Goodman’s band, I started to do quite a few jobs around
with different players, such as Charlie Mingus and Lionel Hampton. Then
I joined Sarah Vaughan. I began working with a lot of singers rather than
groups.

Being an accompanist is as important as being a soloist.
If you give all of your attention to one without the other, you find that
when it comes time to accompany another instrumentalist you can’t do it.

Sometimes, in a band like this, I need help when I’m
accompanying, and I get it from Thad Jones. If, for instance, I’m not
sure whether I should be playing 2/4 or double time or something, he gives
me the appropriate hand motion. It’s to aid in the complementing of the
whole group. Without dynamics, you have no music.